Buffalo NY Fishing Report – 12/21/2025

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 12/01/2025 – 12/21/2025

Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report:  Fellow anglers, clients, friends, and folks who just like to read what I put into the ether – I hope all has been well.  My apologies for the lack of updates lately.  Yeah, the boat is covered in the driveway – has been for over 3 weeks now.  Until recently I was struggling to keep the snow off.  The main cause for the dearth of Brookdog content is, well, our system has been a mess since Thanksgiving. I’ve been keeping myself busy though.

Days on the water: 0

Who we fished with: n/a

Where we fished: n/a

What we caught: n/a

Tactics: n/a

Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations

Making a Forced Vacation Productive

Why write something when I don’t have much to provide in the form of a fishing update? To exercise my mind and fingers, mainly. And to check in with everyone since I don’t spend any time on social media. Also, reps, done reasonably well, keep you sharp. So what follows will be a rant about what I’ve been up to lately – all “off the water” activities. If you’re looking for fishing porn, you might as well close this out and move on. Here it goes:

Why the Long Break?

Starting the evening before Thanksgiving, huge winds – sometimes exceeding 50mph – have ravaged the Buffalo Niagara Region. That was almost a month ago, and since then we might’ve had four days where the wind was minimal. Gale warnings have been a weekly occurrence. Temperatures, except for a couple of days, have been in the 20s and sometimes lower. In turn, Lake Erie is sitting at 35 degrees – far colder than the mean for this time of year. Finally, water clarity has only exceeded one foot maybe twice in the past month.

So, as I mentioned in the introduction, I’ve had clients on the books daily but have cancelled or rescheduled all my trips due to crappy conditions. There were a couple of opportunities where, in retrospect, I could’ve made a day happen. However, I had out-of-staters on the docket those days and didn’t want to gamble with their time.  Although I loathe making those calls – it was the right thing to do.

What have I done with all this time off?  It’s been easy to keep myself occupied.

Fitness: Mental and Physical

Physical 

I went from fishing near-daily since mid-March to an unwanted, forced vacation that started on Thanksgiving Day. The shock to mind and body was a little unsettling. You don’t realize how active you are when you’re on a long streak like that. My first impulse was to get into the gym to keep my body charged up. However, I learned really quickly that I can’t just jump into hardcore exercise programs as easily as I used to. After a couple weeks of crushing myself, I hurt my knee. Nothing crazy – I’ve almost completely rehabbed it in the past week – but it could’ve been worse if I had just pushed through the pain like I used to in my 20s and 30s. I’ve learned a couple of things through that experience:

• If pain emerges through physical activity – figure out what caused it and STOP doing it instead of thinking you’re a bitch and just working through it. Yeah, I guess I’m becoming an “old guy” imparting “wisdom” like that. Honestly though, after 30+ years of training, I have a solid enough base that I don’t need to do ridiculous things anymore to stay fit enough to fish as often as I do.
• Grip strength, mobility, balance, flexibility, and functional strength are crucial for longevity – especially when you work in a physically demanding profession. There’s a wealth of information on YouTube, and I used a couple AI assistants to generate a program toward those ends. It’s been excellent.

Mental

The mental side has been just as important. Physical training sharpens focus and discipline – qualities that translate directly to reading water, adjusting patterns, and staying dialed in during long days on the boat. Beyond the gym, I’ve been feeding the brain in other ways. I’ve been reading Winter in the High Sierra by Robert Brighton, a friend and client who knows how to tell a story. I’ve been cycling through podcasts – some fishing-related, some not – just to keep perspective broad. And I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen with walleye and venison recipes, trying new techniques and flavor combinations. It’s all part of staying sharp. When you can’t be on the water, you find other ways to engage the mind and keep the edge.

There’s some irony here – forced time off the water has actually made me a better version of the guide who’ll eventually get back out there. Sometimes time off teaches you as much as the season itself.  I have no aspirations of slowing down anytime soon – staying in shape is my insurance policy.

Inventory

It’s been 10 years since I started guiding. Over that time, I’ve tinkered with my programs – constantly looking for ways to improve efficacy and efficiency. I’ve experimented with a lot of tackle and more than a handful of boats and electronics suites. I’m not done experimenting, but I’ve finally gotten my system to the point where I’m super confident in what I need and when I need it. Accordingly, I did a little stockpiling over the past few weeks.

I developed a simple inventory system where I can see all my tackle in one location. That helps me know what I have on hand, and when supplies get low, I see it right away – which triggers me to restock before running out. I also have a suite of rods, reels, and line that I love, so I bought backups for when they break, run out, or wear out.

Why does this matter? Because it means I’m not scrambling mid-season when something breaks or runs out. It means every trip has the same quality gear and proven setups. And it means when conditions line up and fish are biting, we’re not missing opportunities because I’m short on the right tackle or dealing with equipment failures. Consistency matters – especially when you’re investing your time and money in a day on the water.

The Unglamorous Side of Running a Charter

Beyond the tackle and training, there’s the paperwork nobody talks about. Year-end means organizing receipts and expenses for tax season – fuel, tackle, boat maintenance, licenses, insurance, pay, investments, all of it. It’s not exciting, but it’s necessary if you want to keep doing this long-term. I’ve also been firming up spring bookings and reaching out to clients who fished with me last year to lock in their dates before the calendar fills up. April and May are nearly locked up (call soon as I only have a few dates left).   I’m also looking ahead to summer patterns – reviewing what worked last year, what didn’t, and where I want to focus my efforts when the water warms up. It’s all part of the game, and honestly, having this forced downtime makes it easier to knock out the administrative grind without feeling like I’m missing prime fishing days.

Weather/Conditions Outlook

I’ve been hiking places like Buckhorn Island, Beaver Island, and Devils Hole State Park to stay in touch with conditions and get some fresh air.  I’ve also been driving the river from Lake Erie to the north bridge on the island.  I hiked Beaver this morning – the wind was howling from the west, it was 27 degrees, and the water was as clear as chocolate milk.  I won’t be fishing for a couple days at least.  However, it looks like some goodness might be coming.

Although it’s proven to be exceedingly untrustworthy lately, the long-range forecast looks somewhat promising.  The water clarity will likely be shot through Christmas – but fish can be caught in dirty water so long as the wind is manageable and the air temperatures are tolerable. In other words, it’s possible I’ll fish Tuesday – it’s supposed to rain, but maybe it won’t.  Maybe Wednesday – although NW winds will limit options.  Thursday is Christmas – and although the forecast looks awesome, I’m not going out.  After that, it’s hard to trust – but the water will likely be clear enough to have a good day at least one of the weekend days.  Fingers crossed – I’ll get out this week.

Getting Back Out There

I’m ready. The gear’s dialed, the inventory’s stocked, and I’m watching the forecast like a hawk. When this weather breaks – and it will – we’ll make up for lost time. Stay tuned for an actual fishing report soon. 

Stay healthy, my friends.  Mentally and physically,

Ryan

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